Practical Theology Commons^™

Rethinking Urban Theology: A Critique For Moving Forward, Cory Wilson

Great Commission Research Journal

The last 300 years have witnessed the worldwide urban population jump from just two percent in 1700 to fifty percent at the turn of the twenty-first century. The Christian community has sought to adapt and respond to this current trend in the form of developing an urban theology. This article seeks to provide what is intended to be a helpful critique of some aspects of urban theology. Specific attention will be given to three aspects of urban theology that are in need of critique: urbanization, the gospel and social justice, and biblical theology. Following an analysis of these three areas, …

Saving The Church From The Sinner’S Prayer, Christopher R. Little

Great Commission Research Journal

The Sinner’s Prayer has become part and parcel of Western evangelistic methodology. Its historical derivation can be traced to American revivalist techniques. The prayer’s application in twenty-first century popular culture has added further obstacles to the process of making genuine disciples as Jesus is presented as a commodity to be consumed in order to achieve self-actualization. In this setting, the calls to count the cost of discipleship have been neglected, which has adversely affected the church. To reverse course, baptism should replace the prayer’s usage as an indication of one’s commitment to Christ, and disciple formation should incorporate the biblical …

The Mother Of All Challenges: Constant Change, Enormous Needs, But-For-God Impossible Difficulties, John Thompson

Great Commission Research Journal

Half of the population of the world lives in cities of one million or more. If we don’t reach and disciple from these masses, our future missionary and pastoral force will be diminished. The book Urban Impact is a trumpet call to muster our forces but also deals with the philosophy and practical principles that make any ministry in the city successful. Brandishing a practical writing style coupled with real life experiences, the author helps the reader understand the problems, burdens, joys, and powerful impact cities have on the rest of society.

Book Review: Worship And Mission After Christendom By Alan And Eleanor Kreider, Karl Dahlfred

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Dissertations And Theses Notices, Gary L. Mcintosh

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Judicatory Leadership And The Urban Challenge: A Wesleyan District Makes The Move, Richard E. Meeks

Great Commission Research Journal

Detroit, Michigan, finds itself listed in the “top ten” of our nation’s dead or dying cities. After a forty year absence, God is calling the Wesleyan Church back into this great city. This denomination’s East Michigan District is leading the way. The thrust of urban ministry is gaining momentum as church leaders commit to reaching the cities. Judicatory leaders must understand the challenges that come with the opportunities. Richard chronicles the East Michigan District’s journey and shares their experience and learning to assist others in making the move into church planting in a major city’s urban environment.

How Should We Then Witness? A Plea For Reexamining Evangelical Evangelistic Practice In Light Of The Concept Of Worldview, Adam W. Greenway

Great Commission Research Journal

This article’s purpose is to explore the issue of evangelistic renewal within evangelicalism. Discussions concerning the decline of evangelism are ubiquitous, and many evangelicals have called for greater attention to discipleship and follow up as the prescription to this acknowledged malady. This essay argues that the more critical need is to intentionally factor the concept of worldview into the development of contemporary evangelistic strategies and methods to more effectively reach postmodern persons. The article commences with an exploration and definition of the concept of worldview itself. Of particular focus here is how worldview interplays with theology and praxis. A brief …

About The Great Commission Research Network, Alan Mcmahan

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories That Stretch And Stir By Collin Hansen And John Woodbridge, Daryl C. Cornett

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Job And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Timothy Johnson

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction to Job
2. Background and Outline (Job)
3. Theology and Themes (Job)
4. Prologue (Job 1-2)
   • Job’s Prosperity Acknowledged as God’s Blessing (Job 1:1-12)
   • God Allows Satan to Destroy Job’s Prosperity (Job 1:13-22)
   • God Allows Satan to Destroy Job’s Health (Job 2:1-11)
   • Job’s Friends Arrive to Comfort Him (Job 2:11-13)
5. Job’s First Lament (Job 3)
6. Job’s Friends Blame Job for the Calamity (Job 4-23)
   • Job’s Friends Accuse Him of Doing Evil (Job 4-23)
   • Job’s Friends Accuse Him of Abandoning God (Job 8-22)
   • Job Pleads His Case to God (Job 5-13)
   • Job’s Friends Try to Protect God (Job 22-23)
   • Job’s Complaints Take on …

Bautismo Liturgia-Bilingüe, Ricardo Schlak

Bautismo

Bautismo liturgia-bilingüe

Bautismo Ilustración-Mano De Dios, Marcos Kempff

Bautismo

Bautismo ilustración-mano de Dios

Bautismo Liturgia-General, Marcos Kempff

Bautismo

Bautismo liturgia-general

Bautismo Liturgia-Niña, Marcos Kempff

Bautismo

Bautismo liturgia-niña

Bautismo Liturgia-Niño, Marcos Kempff

Bautismo

Bautismo liturgia-niño

Concordia Seminary Magazine | Spring/Summer 2011, Paul Devantier

Concordia Seminary Magazine

International influence

Bautismo Ilustración-Nudo, Marcos Kempff

Bautismo

Bautismo ilustración-nudo

Bautismo Ilustración-Cofre Tesoro, Marcos Kempff

Bautismo

Bautismo ilustración-cofre tesoro

John And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Sean Mcdonough

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction to John
2. The Word's Work in the World (John 1:1-18)
3. Calling Disciples/Friends (John 1:35-51)
4. The Wedding Planner (John 2:1-11)
5. Jesus' Hand in All Things (John 3:1-36)
6. Water Works (John 4)
7. Who Works When, and Why? (John 5)
8. Bread of Life (John 6)
9. Seeing and Believing (John 9)
10. Life, and Looming Death (John 10-12)
11. Servant Leadership (John 13)
12. Farewell Words (John 14-17)
    • Work and Relationships (John 14-17)
    • Work and Productivity (John 14-17)
13. Stranger in a Strange Land (John 18-20)
14. Beloved Disciples (John 21)

A New Paradigm: Brazilian Catholic Eco-Justice Activism In The Neoliberal Age, Lena R. Connor

Environmental Analysis Program Mellon Student Summer Research Reports

This paper analyzes how traditional liberation theology in Brazil has been adapted in the neoliberal age to encompass ecological goals and rhetoric. In this research report, I first examine the work of prominent Brazilian ecotheologians, Ivone Gebara and Leonardo Boff. I then look into the applications of such ecological liberation theology in Catholic activism in Brazil, focusing on the role of religious advocacy in dam controversies, land reform, and mining.

When Vocations Collide_ A Study Of The Process Of Developing A Military Mobilization Agreement, Mark Moreno

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The ministry of reserve military chaplains has an impact on their civilian ministry setting, the church in particular. Questionnaires were administered and interviews conducted with reserve chaplains and congregations that have already experienced a mobilization and had a mobilization agreement. Findings reveal that the process of developing a mobilization agreement is indicative of the healthy relationship between the reserve chaplain and their congregation.

Implementing A Discernment Phase For Those Nominated In The Shepherd Selection Process At The Cinco Ranch Church Of Christ, Aaron Walling

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project that implemented a discernment phase for those nominated in the shepherd selection process at the Cinco Ranch Church of Christ. Occurring in the fall of 2010, this project involved nominees in a series of six one-hour, thirty-minute sessions designed to establish the theological foundations for shepherding and to explore its practical expression at Cinco Ranch. For the theological component, this project primarily utilized Ephesians 4:11-16, and for the practical side, it incorporated group interactions with those serving as shepherds along with the review of guiding leadership documents. The project‟s …

John Wesley‟S Liturgical Revision: A Pattern For Reshaping Worship For Post-Christian America, Lawrence A. Lacher

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Lacher, Lawrence A. “John Wesley‟s Liturgical Revision: A Pattern for Reshaping Worship for Post-Christian America.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2011. 316 pp.

This project seeks to find a solution to the current malformation of Christian Worship in the American church through re-examining John Wesley‟s Sunday Service for Methodists in North America (1784) in order to extract the underlying pattern. That pattern is then proposed as a paradigm that allows for the contextualization of worship while retaining its historic shape, function and purpose.

John Wesley‟s liturgical advices are examined for several reasons. Since the writer is interested in helping those who …

Clark Memorandum: Spring 2011, J. Reuben Clark Law Society, Byu Law School Alumni Association, J. Reuben Clark Law School

The Clark Memorandum

• Law and Becoming (Elder D. Todd Christofferson)
• Ambiguity in Law and in Life (Elder Bruce C. Hafen)
• "Serve God, Love Me, and Mend" (Annette W. Jarvis)
• Do U.S. Courts Discriminate Against Treaties? (David H. Moore)

Luke And Work, Theology Of Work Project, Aaron Kuecker

Theology of Work Project

1. Introduction to Luke
2. The Kingdom of God Shows Up at Work (Luke 1-5)
   • God at Work (Luke 1, 2 and 4)
   • Jesus Calls People at Work (Luke 5:1-11; 27-32)
   • John the Baptist Teaches Workplace Ethics (Luke 3:8-14)
   • Jesus is Tempted to Abandon Serving God (Luke 4:1-13)
3. Healing in Luke
4. Sabbath and Work (Luke 6:1-11; 13:10-17)
5. The Ethics of Conflict (Luke 6:27-36; 17:3-4)
6. God's Provision (Luke 9:10-17; 12:4-7; 12:22-31)
   • The Shrewd Manager and the Prodigal Son (Luke 16:1-13; 15:11-32)
7. Wealth in Luke
   • Concern for the Wealthy (Luke 6:25; 12:13-21; 18:18-30)
   • Concern for the Poor (Luke 6:17-26; 16:19-31)
   • Generosity: The Secret to …

How I Would Like To Spend The Last Years Of My Life..., Landon Brady Saunders

Landon Saunders Documents

A list of projects Landon Saunders wants to work on and what he wants to happen with Heartbeat when he can no longer work on it.

Autonomy Or Multi-Site? A Policy Capturing Study Of Two Models Of Church Planting For The Guidance Of Future Site Planting At Ascension Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kansas, Michael Bingenheimer

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The purpose of this study was to produce a set of reasoned recommendations for future site planting for Ascension Lutheran Church, Wichita, KS. Ascension unintentionally became a multi-site congregation in 2002. This study looks at thirteen Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod congregations. Six congregations planted independent congregations (daughter sites). Six congregations planted multi-site venues (sister sites). One congregation has used both models of church planting. The primary component for information gathering was a survey seeking information from each of these churches on how they decided which model to follow. Understanding the reasoning and assumptions made by these churches, I developed …

Episcopal Applicants To Ordained Ministry: Are They Psychological Healthy?, Thomas G. Plante, Christopher Apodaca

Psychology

The current investigation evaluated psychological and personality profiles of applicants to the diaconate and priesthood for several Episcopal dioceses. Applicants included both genders and their ages ranged from 29 to 67 years. A psychological testing battery including the MMPI-2, 16PF, and MCMI-III was administered to 42 applicants between 2008 and 2009 who subsequently entered the diaconate or priestly formation program in the Episcopal Church. Results indicate that these applicants were generally well-adjusted. Findings also suggest some tendency for defensiveness, repression, naïveté, and a strong need for affection, as well as for being emotionally stable, intelligent, trusting, and open to change. …

Calvin Theological Journal (Vol 46 No 1 - April 2011), Calvin Theological Seminary

Calvin Theological Journal

Articles: A Break with Anti-Judaic Exegesis: John Calvin and the Unity of the Testaments by G. Sujin Pak - 7 / Metaphysics and Justification in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Reformed Theology by John V. Fesko - 29 / A Brief History of Heaven in the Writings of Jonathan Edwards by Robert Caldwell - 48 / The Glory of Spiders and Politics by John Bolt - 72 / Experience, Expression, Understanding: Gerardus van der Leeuw's Phenomenological Method by Richard J. Plantinga - 81 / The Seven Days of Creation by James W. Skillen - 111 / Lost Keys: The Absolution in …

Crafting A Congregational Narrative For The College Church Of Christ In Fresno, California, Jason W. Locke

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a ministry project in the College Church of Christ in Fresno, California. In this project I led the congregation through a narrative crafting process in order to clarify the church’s identity and increase its capacity for mission. In recent decades, the College Church moved away from some of its founding characteristics yet failed to clarify a new sense of identity. It subsequently had difficulty acting with a unified sense of purpose and instead moved increasingly toward fragmentation.

Data for crafting the new narrative came from three weeks of group interviews. My research team conducted these interviews in …